Chapter 748 War Debt

Zhang Lun and a few marquis were also surprised by Song Nan's move to raise their own food and salaries to pay for the cost of the war. This was the imperial court. Naturally, it was the money spent. Song Nan seemed to be a little fighting with Yang Ting.

The army must be supported by at least millions of taels of silver. This is an astronomical figure. Where did this silver come from? Everyone knows the inside story that Song Nan's personal wealth is actually not very much, and the shares he occupies in the whole consortium are only a dozen. The major shareholder is an unknown rich man, but he can naturally do business. When he took everyone's money to invest in such a bottomless pit of war, the marquis hesitated.

On this day after the early morning, the marquis were worried. They were worried that they would receive Song Nan's invitation. At this time, the invitation was not a good thing. It must be related to the money and food for the war. However, in the trembling afternoon, Song Nan did not inform them to gather the members at all. Instead, a shocking news came in the evening.

On all the billboards in the square within the nine gates of the capital, a large notice of the Jinyiwei commander Dayin and the deputy governor of the regiment camp suddenly appeared. Explain the current situation of the Ming Dynasty and the Tatans clearly and do not shy away from saying that the court wanted to completely defeat the Tatari people, but suffered from the tight military expenditure.

At the end of the notice, there is a clear saying: the imperial court has made up its determination to recover Hetao. The rise and fall of the country, and the common people are responsible. In order to live a life free from the Tatar, Song Nan, Duke of Zhen, was in the central square of Baizhifang in the name of the commander of the Military Department of Daming Jinyiwei, deputy governor of the regiment camp. Start issuing war bonds; those who buy war bonds will return their principal and high interest with bonds one year later. Those who purchase a huge amount can receive a personal reception and banquet from the Duke of Zhen.

The details are posted later. The general content is that war bonds will be sold in one or two, and the principal and interest of one or two yuan will be exchanged a year later, and the amount will reach more than 10,000 taels. The Duke of Zhen will personally meet and sign the bonds. If more than 100,000 taels are purchased, the Duke of Zhen will ask the court to grant the title. Although it has no practical effect, it can also be done. Capital to show off.

The reception and banquet of the Duke of Zhen, although the court's award of the so-called title is attractive, but the most attractive thing is the interest, which can be exchanged in just one year, and the principal interest is as high as 30%, which is unmatched by any bank or private usury **. The only concern is whether this promise can be fulfilled. Although the notice is posted by Song Nan, the Duke of Zhen, who has a thunderous reputation and is already a well-known figure in the capital, but it has something to do with money and ordinary people do not have much money, so it is normal to hesitate.

People soon gathered in the central square of the second district of Baizhifang. Most of them came to see the lively and wait-and-see. They were not determined to buy any war bonds. However, a high platform was set up in the middle of the square, and a row of tables and chairs were lined up on the high platform. One person was beautiful and dressed in luxury. Song Nan, the Duke of Zhen, sat down in person; there were mud paper, pen and ink and dozens of palm-sized pieces of paper on the table. There were a lot of people under the stage, and the people stared at the stage to see if anyone ate crabs for the first time.

They didn't wait too long. In the cough, a white-haired old man walked up the wooden ladder on one side with a crutch. The Duke of Zhen, who had a serious expression, suddenly softened his face and came forward to help him personally. The old man muttered, "Where is the Duke of Zhen? The old man wants to see him."

Song Nan smiled and said, "My father-in-law, I am Song Nan."

The old man was shocked and hurriedly bent down to kneel down and said, "Da Damn it, the old man is dizzy and doesn't know the Duke of Zhen in front of his face."

Song Nan quickly held him and said, "Old man, if you have something to say, you don't need to salute."

The old man stood up trembling and groped from his arms for a long time. He took out a small cloth bag. It must be silver in it. He raised it and put it in Song Nan's hand and said, "The old man is here to buy the bonds of the Duke of Zhen to help recover the river."

Song Nan hurriedly said, "Old man, you have figured out that this silver will not be exchanged until a year later. Is there anyone else in your family? Can you ask for the opinions of your children?"

The old man bowed his head and sighed, "To tell you the truth, the old man is alone in the capital, and there is no one else at home. These ten taels of silver are also all the savings of the old man."

Song Nan frowned and said, "Old man, since you have all your savings, you need to be careful. If you don't have a life to support me in recovering Hetao and collecting military expenses, how can I feel at ease?

The old man shook his head and said, "The Duke of Zhen is fighting with the Tartans in the northwest. Although the old man is a grassy, he also pays attention to the war in the northwest from time. I was bullied by Tarans for many years in the Ming Dynasty, and finally someone stood up to recover the river. I was so happy that I almost cried. To be honest, the old hometown belongs to the former Daningwei north of the Yellow River in Ningxia Town. The Tarts went south to occupy my hometown. The court gave up Daningwei, and the old man moved to Beijing with his wife and children. Over the years, the old man has been missing his hometown all the time. He thought that there was no hope of returning to his hometown to return to his roots in this life, but he did not expect that the Duke of Zhen would lead troops to recover the river traps. The old man would climb to support the Duke of Zhen's move. My wife and children under the spring should also agree with my decision.

Song Nan suddenly found that he was the origin of Daningwei. No wonder he supported himself so actively. In addition to admiration, he also felt a great responsibility.

The old man said to the under the stage: "My fellow villagers, it is a great thing for the court to recover the river cover. The Tarts bullied people too much and occupied the boundary of my Ming Dynasty, and also used this as a springboard to constantly disturb the people of the border town. We don't have to worry about being at the feet of the emperor, but empathy should be retained. If we were the people of the border town, we would certainly hope that the court would solve the border problems as soon as possible and live a stable life. The imperial court has now encountered difficulties. The collection initiated by the Duke of Zhen said that there is interest to take, but there is no interest, so what?

The people nodded one after another and said, "My father-in-law is a little bloody, and I'm ashamed."

Another person said: "Yes, how lucky we are to be in the capital. I heard from a family in Datong that Datong's border town is almost a month of war, and there are constant wars and small wars. The Tatans are fierce and tight, but they break into the country and burn, kill and loot all the way, doing all kinds of evil. It's just like a beast."

"It's true. My cousin fled from Guyuan a month ago. He originally lived in Jinglu. The Tatans razed the Jingcapul to the ground for only a few hours with firearms. The family of eight escaped from their cousins and cousins. The Tatans were really cruel. The news came that the Duke of Zhen led the army to defeat the tarrels and drive them out. My cousin cried at home for a day. Oh, it's so miserable.

There was a lot of discussion under the stage, but the old man on the stage had been guided by his guards to sit down at the table. Song Nanye, the Duke of Zhen, had already sat down opposite him. At this moment, he was taking a piece of paper with a few lines of writing to write on it. After a while, he put down the brush and pressed it with his thumb. The mud was stamped with fingerprints under the paper, and then stamped with a seal and handed to the old man with both hands.

Everyone held their breath and listened, but heard Song Nan say, "Lao, as you wish, ten taels of silver will be handed over to me. You have collected this certificate. I pressed my handprint, stamped it and signed the name. A year later, with this certificate, I am still here, and I will exchange 13 taels of silver for you."

The old man nodded repeatedly and kicked it in his arms. Suddenly, he knelt down and kowtowed to Song Nan and kowtowed: "I wish you victory and it is best to drive the Tartars to the sky. Next year, if the old man can return to his hometown with his wife and children's bones, the old man will burn high incense day and night to pray for his longevity.

When Song Nan hurried to help, the old man had already got up by himself and rodged down the high platform. The people silently made way, and the old man's back quickly disappeared from the crowd.

The procedure is already very clear. The Duke of Zhen personally signed and stamped his fingerprints, which is equivalent to signing a contract with the Duke of Zhen. Compared with what he thought was a court loan, the credibility has increased a lot, and many people are eager to try. At this time, a man shouted in the crowd, "You make way. If you don't subscribe to the bonds raised, why stand here and block the way of others? Please get out of the way."

Everyone looked at it one after another, and saw an ordinary-looking young man squeeze out from the crowd, step up the steps and stand on the high platform, taking out a silver ticket from his arms and saying, "The villain buys 1,000 taels of bonds."

Someone immediately came forward to receive him, quickly filled in the amount, took Song Nan's signature and stamped evidence and stepped down in his arms. Everyone secretly smacked, and the man suddenly bought 1,000 taels of bonds, which was so generous. However, at the thought that this person could get 1,300 taels of silver a year later, he suddenly felt that the money was too easy to make.

While talking, several people boldly came to the stage to subscribe, ranging from a few to dozens of taels. One of them also displayed the bonds under the stage. Looking at Song Nan's autograph and the red seal of the Duke of Zhen on the bonds, the concerns in everyone's hearts dissipated. At first, it was still in twos and threes, but soon after, the crowd scrambled to get up, and more than a dozen masters sitting behind the desk on the table suddenly became busy. Song Nan did not stop for a moment, and his signature was so soft that he didn't even have time to lift his head.